Can This Be Happening? Ch. 03

Another month had passed and Megan's life had started to regain an ounce of normalcy. Work was going better and Megan had started to smile more. She thought about Kevin about once every minute but this time she didn't let it stop her from life.

"Hey you." Ashley said, popping her head into Megan's room.

"Hey."

"So, have you thought about what you're going to wear to Rick and Stacey's wedding yet?"

"Not really. I don't even know if I'm going. A wedding isn't exactly something I'm super excited about going to."

"Come on! It'll be fun!" Ashley plopped down onto Megan's bed. "Plus, Stacey says that Rick has a few really hot friends." Megan laughed and flopped back onto her bed.

"I think I'm just going to stay home and rent some movies."

"If you think I am going to let you stay home and watch 'Pride & Prejudice' one more time, you are surely mistaken. We are going to go to this wedding and I am going to get you laid!" Ashley leaped off the bed and jabbed her fists to her hips.

"Not this again." Megan rolled her eyes and buried her head into her pillow. "Ashley," she said into the pillow, "I love you and all but you really need to find another mission in life."

"But I like this one." She responded with a childish innocence across her face.

"UGH! Fine!"

"Yippee!" Ashley yelled and jumped on top of Megan.

The week before the wedding went quickly. The nuptials were to take place Saturday at six pm at the home of Stacey's parents. Her father was a multi-millionaire from striking while the iron was hot in the real estate world. There home, worth in the ballpark of $10 million, was the Buckingham Palace of the East coast. Settled quaintly in the Hampton's, the home was surrounded but two things, trees and water.

Megan stood in front of her mirror and examined the dress she was wearing. It was a knee length red strapless Versace gown. It cost a whole months salary but Ashley said it would be worth it. As Megan checked all the angles of her body, she had to admit that maybe Ashley was right. The top hugged her breasts and pulled in to accentuate her waistline. There was a slit up the right side that stopped at about mid thigh.

"Are you sure I don't look like a slut." She asked Ashley.

"You look gorgeous." Ashley yelled from her bedroom.

"Do you have those shoes?" She asked when entering Ashley's room. Megan stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Ashley standing there. She was wearing a coral colored, halter style, floor length dress that was slightly faded in color throughout. With her thin frame, it gave her curves that weren't there before. "Wow."

"You like?" She giggled and did a full turn.

"I wont exist anymore when they see you." Megan said.

"Whatever." Ashley handed Megan red high heels to go with the dress and also handed her a diamond pendant necklace.

"I can't wear this."

"Why not?"

"It was your grandmother's necklace. I don't want to lose it or anything."

"You won't and besides I'll be by your side all night. So if you lose it, it will also be on my head that I wasn't watching you close enough." Ashley stepped behind Megan and fastened the necklace. "Perfect."

Another hour later and they were pulling into the drive of Pinoe Manor. A valet took their keys and they were ushered into the backyard. Most of the three hundred guests had already arrived and were mingling with each other. In the background there was a low hum of an orchestra playing a slow piece. Over to the left, about a hundred yards away, there was a dozen or so tents set up with a white see thru material covering each and flowing in the light sea breeze. Megan and Ashley saw a few people they knew and made their way over and started talking.

"Excuse me," a man said over the speaker system. "If you could all be seated we are ready to get started." The guests started making their way to the seats that were fanned around the alter. Megan and Ashley took two seats near the back but right at the edge of the aisle. The orchestra started the Cannon in D and the ten bridesmaids started the procession down the aisle. Stacey finally settled in at the alter and took Rick's hand.

"First of all, we want to thank everyone for joining us on this special day." The pastor started out with. "In life's journey, we all long for that one person who we feel completes us. Today is a culmination of that for Richard and Stacey. Both the bride and groom wanted to keep the ceremony short and sweet as they put it. So let's get started." Stacey's maid-of-honor took her bouquet and Rick took a deep breathe. "Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. You have to be willing to take that chance to make it work. Do you Stacey take Rick...."

Megan zoned out. Her thoughts were not on the nuptials that were taking place at that moment, they were on Kevin. She thought about it being them up there. Her in a Vera Wang dress and him in an Armani suite, wind blowing through her hair. She was smiling happily then felt an elbow in her side.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Ashley whispered.

"Nothing. Just zoned out." She whispered back.

"You aren't thinking about Kevin again, are you?"

"No. Of course not." Megan let out a deep breath and looked up at the happy couple. Rick was slipping the ring on Stacey's finger and smiling from ear to ear.

"By the power vested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife." The audience clapped. "Richard, you may now kiss your bride." The audience didn't hold back. You could hear his friends yelling out and a few people in the front row whistling. Megan and Ashley clapped and stood as the new couple made there way down the aisle as man and wife.

Half hour later Ashley and Megan were seated at their table inside the tents. Now Megan could see that inside the billowing tents were thousands of candles and flowers. Christmas lights draped from the top and cast a sky of stars on the shining dance floor. Megan felt like someone was staring at her and she looked around. The tents were all open to each other and with the volume of people; it could be coming from anywhere. Megan shook it off and looked down at the salad that was in front of her. Ashley was flirting with a young Mel Gibson look-a-like and giggling like a schoolgirl. Megan rolled her eyes and started moving the pieces of lettuce around on her plate. The couple had already been introduced and main courses were now being served. There was a lot of laughing going on and Megan couldn't be more of the opposite.

Dinner was cleared and speeches were said and now the bride and groom were taking their first dance. Allison Krauss' 'When You Say Nothing At All' was beating a soft rhythm for them to dance to.

"Now the bride and groom would like to invite all the other couple's onto the dance floor." The song ended and other couple's started filing on. Ashley stood and took Mel by the hand and they took a spot near the edge and were so close that you'd think they were glued together. Megan took a long sip of her wine and rubbed her neck.

"Would you like to dance?" A male voice said from behind her. Megan turned and she dropped the wine glass in her hand. There he stood in all his glory. He was wearing a black suit and tie and it accentuated his broad shoulders well.

"Um..." was all that she could muster up.

"Please?" He said in a whisper. He didn't wait for an answer. He took her hand and pulled her to her feet. With Kevin's hand locked over Megan's, he led her to an empty spot on the floor and pulled her close to him. Whitney Huston's "Saving all my love for you" started playing and they just moved in slow circles. His hand rubbed softly up and down her back and her frigidness started to ease up. For a minute, neither said anything, just moving with the music. Finally Kevin broke the silence.

"I'm sorry." Megan leaned her head against his chest. She pressed her eyes together to fight the tears that were forcing their way out. "It's just that when you told me, I wasn't expecting it. There were a million things that I could have said and I picked the wrong one." He pulled her into him closer.

"I shouldn't have said it the way I did."

"What other way would you have said it?"

"I used to think of different ways that I would tell you. Your reaction was never what I would have imagined."

"When someone springs something like that on you, it takes a bit to digest. I just needed time." Megan looked up into his blue eyes and let out a breath that she felt like she had been holding onto for years.

"Time?" Was all she could muster up.

"Yes, time." Kevin brought his hand up to her cheek and rubbed his thumb against her lips. He leaned down and softly pressed his lips to hers. Her hand went to his head and she stood on her toes. She wanted to get as close as she could and she felt like it wasn't enough. Kevin pulled away and looked into her eyes. "I didn't realize it until that night, but you gave me the worst case of butterflies. I always thought that it was Ashley," Megan stepped back, "but I was wrong." He took her hands in his. "You were the one. You are the one."